“He checks all the boxes in terms of an ideal player,” said Bosco coach Jason Negro. “He’s a gifted kid, physically. If he continues to trend the way he has with his work ethic and his commitment, I don’t know if there is a ceiling for his potential.”

St. John Bosco quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei throws a pass against Mater Dei during their game in Torrance, Calif., on Friday, October 13, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Uiagalelei has been known in youth sports circles as a prodigy since he was a young child—at nine years old he was playing Pop Warner with seventh and eighth graders, and he was offered a scholarship by USC while still in middle school. Friday night he steps onto the biggest stage of his young life as Bosco hosts Corona Centennial in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals at Cerritos College at 7:30 p.m.

Negro knows what he’s talking about — he coached the last “next big thing” out of Southern California, quarterback Josh Rosen, now a junior at UCLA and projected as a top pick in next year’s NFL Draft. The similarities don’t end at physical abilities, according to Negro — he said that Uiagalelei reminds him of Rosen because of how grounded his family keeps him.

“It’s not in my hands, it’s not on my time, it’s on God’s time.”

—D.J. Uiagalelei | St. John Bosco quarterback

“We kept him out of football his eighth grade year,” said DJ’s father, Dave. “We wanted him to just have a last year of just being a kid, and he only played sports at his middle school. Nobody there knew who he was, nobody knew he had a scholarship offer or any of that stuff — he’s not an ‘I’ guy, he could care less about rankings.”

If he did care about them, he’d have plenty of reading material. The lowest ranking Uiagalelei has from any of the major recruiting website has him as the third-best quarterback in the sophomore class, while several others have him as the best. He’s also a multi-sport stud and is a top talent in baseball, as well.

Uiagalelei said the reason he doesn’t get caught up in the hype is a deep grounding in his faith, as well as his relationship with his family.

“We just put it all in the hands of God and we trust His process,” he said. “It’s not in my hands, it’s not on my time, it’s on God’s time.”

St. John Bosco quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei takes a a hit from Mater Dei’s Nathan Logoleo in the fourth quarter of their game in Torrance, Calif., on Friday, October 13, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

He did have to wait, something that not all elite recruits are willing to do. Although their son entered Bosco with a scholarship offer in hand, Dave and Tausha, DJ’s parents, didn’t make any demands about playing time for their son. For a year and a half, he backed up Bosco signal-caller Re-al Mitchell, who won a state title with the Braves last year and who’s committee to Iowa State.

This year, with the team struggling to score in a road game in Washington, D.C, Negro told Uiagalelei he was going to put him into the game. Uiagalelei ran onto the field with five minutes left and the Braves trailing by 10 points.

THE GAME

CIF SS Division 1 Semi-final

St. John Bosco of Bellflower vs Corona Centennial of Corona

Friday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m.

Cerritos College, 11110 Alondra Blvd, Norwalk

TV: Fox Sports West

“You could see the whole sideline just inhale when he ran onto the field with the offense,” said Negro.

Uiagalelei tapped his chest twice, pointed to the sky, and told his teammates, “Let’s get it.”

Bosco scored two late touchdowns and won — because that’s how these stories tend to go. Uiagalelei, meanwhile, became a leader at a young age.

Uiagalelei’s production on the field has been unreal since he became the starter: Uiagalelei has thrown for 2,460 yards on 65.6% passing with 26 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

“I knew I had something with DJ, and I knew he’d be good, but I didn’t know he’d be this good right away,” said his father.

The on-field production, coupled with his obvious physical attributes, have turned the spotlights on ultra-high, with a flood of colleges promptly offering scholarships, from Alabama to Florida.

Uiagalelei’s mom, Tausha, said she and her husband have tried to protect DJ and his little brother Matayo from all of the hype and pressure that come with such attention. Inside their home in Chino Hills, they’re like any other family.

“We’ve sheltered them, we’ve kept them in a bubble,” she said.

But the family knows that bubble is bursting. Along with the scholarship blitz has come tons of new followers on social media, and some new concerns, as well. Almost everyone who meets Uiagalelei from this point on will be aware of him as a highly-recruited athlete with a potentially lucrative pro career in his future.

“Because he’s under a microscope, his life won’t be the same,” said Tausha. “He’s going to look like a meal ticket to some people—that changes things.”

Uiagalelei has dealt with that by laughing it off. When people ask him where he’s going to go to school, he tells them he’s going to Mt. SAC, the community college where his father and much of his family played football. It’s a comment he repeats often enough that his Spanish teacher called his mother to tell her that with DJ’s high grades, he should be thinking about a four-year college instead.

If Uiagalelei can lead Bosco to a win on Friday, the lights will only get brighter as the Braves approach a fifth consecutive CIF-SS championship game. With an abundance of talent and his family and coaches behind him, he’s ready for his closeup.

St. John Bosco quarterback DJ Uiagalelei looks to pass against Rancho Cucamonga during Friday’s CIF-SS Division 1 second round playoff game at Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., November 17, 2017. (John Valenzuela/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Mike Guardabascio has been writing professionally for 15 years and covering Long Beach sports for a decade. His work has been published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He's won numerous awards and is the author of the historical book "Football in Long Beach" and co-author of "Basketball in Long Beach."

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